Queensland Astrofest 2023 is happening!

We are pleased to advise Queensland Astrofest will be happening in 2023! This will be the 30th anniversary of the event, and we would like to thank all the clubs who have contributed to supporting the event, especially the club representatives.

While things are still being finalised, the following information should assist those of you interested in attending.

Dates and preliminary details

The event will run from Friday 11 August to Sunday 20 August 2023.

Prices will be $45 per night (full) and $42 per night (concession). Children 5-15 years are $5 per night, with infants under 5 years old are free. No early bird period will apply this year due to the late start of organisation.

Meals costs will be $25 for lunch, $30 for dinner, and $30 for the Astrofeast lunch. Note that there is a minimum of 15 required for any individual meal to be available. A cut-off date of 3 weeks prior to the event will apply to booking meals as a result. Additional options are under investigation. Menus will be provided online in the near future.

Caravans/Camping will be first in, first served, as there are only limited places available for Caravans.

The Guest Speaker will be Professor Tamara Davies, who will speak on Saturday 19 August at the Astrofest lunch.

Vendor participation is yet to be finalised.

Registrations will open once the arrangements are finalised and the website is updated, but hopefully this will be soon.

Guest speaker: Tamara Davis

Topic: Cosmology as a probe of fundamental physics

The last few decades have been a golden age for observational astrophysics and cosmology, with the power of modern telescopes revealing surprising features of our Universe in ever more detail.  From explaining the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, to measuring the mass of the neutrino, or understanding nuclear physics through gravitational waves, modern astrophysics has established itself as a leading avenue to reveal fundamental physics.  In this talk Tamara Davis will give a lightning tour of the latest techniques by which astrophysicists are pushing the boundaries of known physics and discuss the cracks (“tensions”) that are emerging between different cosmological probes.

About Tamara:

Professor Tamara Davis is an astrophysicist and ARC Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland with over two decades experience studying supernovae, black holes, and dark energy. She led the Dark Theme in the Australian Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, is currently leading the Australian Dark Energy Survey (OzDES), and was recently announced as the Deputy Director of the upcoming Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery. Her accolades include the Astronomical Society of Australia’s Ellery Lectureship for career achievement, the Australian Academy of Science’s Millis medal for female scientific leadership, and a Member the Order of Australia.”

She is an avid communicator of science and occasional guest host of ABC TV’s “Catalyst”, including the episode “Black Hole Hunters” which won the American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award.  In addition, her scientific writing includes Nature News and Views, and a cover story for Scientific American; she’s made innumerable school visits, performed teacher training, presented shows at two music festivals (Woodford and Splendour), and given many radio interviews; her TV and movie credits include Q&A, the ABC Morning Show, Stargazing Live, the award-winning documentary ‘Carbon’, and playing the voice of an artificial intelligence on ‘Living Universe’.

When not doing science, she loves playing sport — she’s competed at a representative level in seven sports, from surf life saving to gymnastics, and has captained Australia in the (albeit obscure) sport of Ultimate Frisbee.